The Nationals have now set two-thirds of their starting rotation for the three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers that begins Monday at Nats Park. Washington right-hander Jordan Zimmermann will battle 5-0 Dodgers righty Zack Greinke on Monday. And following Sunday's loss in Philadelphia, Nats manager Matt Williams announced that right-hander Stephen Strasburg would start for the home team on Wednesday against ex-Nat Dan Haren. That leaves only Tuesday's starter for the Nationals...

You won't find the Nationals lamenting breaks that didn't go their way in a 1-0 loss to the Phillies on Sunday. To a man, they admitted they ran into a tough pitcher in Phillies righty Roberto Hernandez., who outdueled Washington's Gio Gonzalez on an afternoon when windy conditions made things tough for both teams. They Nats ran themselves out of a possible big inning in the first and didn't come through with the tying run on third in the eighth. It all added up to a loss capping a 3-2 road...

The Orioles got their weekend series in Minnesota off to an uplifting start with a shutout win behind Ubaldo Jimenez as they moved into first place on Friday night. But their offense never did get going in the series and they lost 5-2 this afternoon as they dropped the final two games at Target Field. The Orioles scored just six runs on 24 hits and went 2-for-22 with runners in scoring position in this series. Nelson Cruz blasted another two-run homer to left and that pulled the O's to...

Too bad that Major League Baseball doesn't award an extra run based on the distance of a home run. Nelson Cruz could have overcome a three-run deficit today despite only one runner being on base. Cruz put another ball into the third deck, his two-run shot off Phil Hughes reducing Minnesota's lead to 3-2 in the sixth inning. He took a 92 mph four-seam fastball out of the strike zone and launched an 88 mph cutter. Cruz's ninth homer traveled an estimated 416 feet. According to the MASN2 HD...

Phillies right-hander Roberto Hernandez is pitching more like Fausto Carmona circa 2010 than the guy who toted a 5.74 ERA into today's game against the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Gio Gonzalez is doing his usual routine of holding the opposition in check, but trails 1-0 after three innings. The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the first when Jimmy Rollins tripled with one out and scored on Chase Utley's single to center.r. The Nats had runners on first and second with one down in the third,...

Nick Markakis led off today's game for the Orioles by grounding a ball into center field for a single. And so it continues. Markakis extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He's hit safely in 15 of his last 16. Markakis leads the Orioles with 37 hits, six more than runner-up Nelson Cruz. Before today, he ranked second with a .310 average and 15 runs, fourth with a .367 on-base percentage and third with a .790 OPS. Markakis has collected only two home runs, in both ends of Thursday's...

Manager: Don Mattingly, fourth year Record: 18-14 Last 10 games: 5-5 Who to watch: 1B Adrian Gonzalez (.292/.374/.592, 9 HR, 9 doubles, 25 RBIs); RF Yasiel Puig (.309/.397/.500, 11 XBH, 21 RBIs); LHP Clayton Kershaw (1-0, 1.35 ERA); RHP Zack Greinke (5-0, 2.04 ERA, 1.05 WHIP) Season series vs. Nats (2013): 5-1, 22 runs scored, 12 runs allowed Pitching probables May 5: Zack Greinke vs. Jordan Zimmermann 7 p.m., MASN HD May 6: Clayton Kershaw vs. TBD, 7 p.m., MASN HD May 7: Dan Haren vs. Stephen...

When it comes to pitch efficiency, the Orioles have some improvements to make. On Saturday, Wei-Yin Chen threw 24, 22 and 20 pitches over his first three innings. He only gave up one run in that time, so it's not like he was getting hit much there. That is simply too many pitches, especially early in a start. It's not a formula to pitch deep in the game. All year, the Orioles have just five starts of seven innings or more. Here is a ranking of the O's starters from least to most pitches...

Steve Pearce remains at first base today for the Orioles while Chris Davis works out at Target Field. Davis also will accompany the team to St. Petersburg, Fla., for the series against the Rays that begins Tuesday night. He's eligible to come off the disabled list on May 11. Delmon Young is the designated hitter today. He's 7-for-21 with a home run lifetime against Twins starter Phil Hughes. Matt Wieters is back in the lineup. He's batting .391/.437/.594 against right-handers this...

PHILADELPHIA - Danny Espinosa will get the day off, and Kevin Frandsen will play third base against his former team in today's series finale. Gio Gonzalez will start for the Nationals, while the Phillies will give the ball to right-hander Roberto Hernandez (formerly known as Fausto Carmona). Cole Hamels was originally scheduled to start today for the Phils, but he was scratched due to the flu. For the Nationals For the Nats: CF Denard Span 3B Kevin Frandsen RF Jayson Werth 1B Adam LaRoche ...